Beatrice Honour Davy
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Beatrice Honour Davy | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 December 1885 Exeter, England |
| Died | 18 April 1966 (aged 80) Woodmancote, Horsham District, West Sussex, England |
| Education | King’s College, London |
| Occupations | Barrister and later solicitor |
| Known for | Early woman lawyer |
Beatrice Honour Davy (13 December 1885 – 18 April 1966) was a British barrister, and later, solicitor. She was amongst the first women to be called to the bar once the legal barriers to entry for females were dismantled in 1919. In 1922, she and seven others were the first women ever admitted to the Middle Temple. Davy was the first woman to appear as advocate at the Devon Assizes, winning a 1923 divorce case for her client. After she requalified as a solicitor in 1931, Davy and fellow solicitor Edith Berthen established the first all-female law firm in Britain. The firm continued operating until 1951.
Davy was born in Exeter in 1885. Her father was a physician and in 1887 was Sheriff of Exeter. In recognition of his war work as consultant physician to the Southern Command, Sir Henry Davy was knighted, being created K.B.E. in 1919. Beatrice Davy's mother, Beatrice Mary, née Tucker, was a solicitor's daughter; she died in 1905, and Davy's father later remarried. Davy's paternal grandfather—Sir Henry's father—was also a solicitor.[1] Davy was educated at Grassendale School, Southbourne, in Bournemouth.[2]
During the First World War her only brother was killed. In her own wartime career, Davy assisted Dame Georgina Buller to organise and equip the Devon Group of War Hospitals.[3]